Supervisor David Bowen Questions Hamilton Decision

Milwaukee County Supervisor David Bowen today questioned District Attorney John Chisholm’s decision not to charge a Milwaukee Police Department officer in the shooting death of Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old mentally ill black man, in Red Arrow Park eight months ago. Hamilton was shot 14 times by the officer in the confrontation. But Bowen called for the community to stand against injustice in reaction to the decision.

“The 14 shots fired seems excessive for an unarmed citizen who was not known to act violently prior to police contact, and calls into question the decision not to file criminal charges while calling this justified self-defense,” Bowen said. “This is a tragedy that occurs far too frequently both in our community and around the country. We are saddened and outraged, and we want justice from a system that clearly attempts to be the ‘Just Us’ system. It is imperative to our cause for a better future that massive numbers of people engage in creative protest.

“This series of senseless violence will only end when we stand firmly together with righteousness in our hearts. The lives of our community matter, and I pray for the Hamilton family’s strength.”

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.